Sheet material forming apparatus



March 8, 1966 A. J. SARKA 3,238,853

SHEET MATERIAL FORMING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 27, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ALBERT J. SARKA BY Mm, m,

ATTORNEYS March 8, 1966 A. J. SARKA 3,238,853

SHEET MATERIAL FORMING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 27, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ALBERT J. sARKA d/Jfi m 7% Y AT ORNEYS March 8, 1966 A. J. SARKA snnm MATERIAL FORMING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 27, 1965 I'll lllnllllllll l I l l llllllll'v INVENTOR.

ALBERT J. SARKA BY J/L'ZW, WW

Y AT'fORNEYS March 8, 1966 A. J. SARKA SHEET MATERIAL FORMING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed Aug. 27, 1965 INVENTOR.

ALBERT J. SARKA United States Patent 3,238,853 SHEET MATERIAL FORMING APPARATUS Albert J. Sarka, Fairview Park, Ohio, assignor to Harrisllntertype Corporation, Cleveland, ()hio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 487,961 9 Claims. (Cl. 9358.2)

This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Serial No. 266,308, filed March 19, 1963.

The present invention relates to .a rotary forming apparatus having a plurality of cylinders with materlal forming members thereon which cooperate to form sheet-like material in sheet or web form as it is conveyed between the cylinders, and particularly to a rotary creasing and cutting apparatus wherein sheet-like material is successively creased and cut as it is conveyed between the cylinders thereof.

An important object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved rotary material forming apparatus, as noted above, for performing forming operations on sheet-like material at successive stations and wherein a minimum number of cylinders are required for such operations, and wherein the forming members operable at each station may be accurately and easily adjusted without affecting the forming members at the other station.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a rotary machine for performing a plurality of sheet forming operations and adapted to use a master forming plate having elements thereon for effecting, when rotated, the plurality of forming operations in cooperation with individual plates having elements thereon for effecting one of the forming operations, when cooperating with the corresponding elements on the master plate, and wherein the individual plates are adjustable independently of each other relative to the master plate.

Another important object of the present invent1on is the provision of a new and improved rotary material forming apparatus including at least three cylinders carrying material forming members and wherein a first cylinder carries material forming members in the form of projecting lands cooperable when properly aligned with projecting lands on a second of the cylinder members to effectively cut material advanced therebetween, as well as other forming members cooperable with forming members on the third cylinder, and wherein the forming members on the second and third cylinders are adjustable independently of each other relative to the forming members on the first cylinder so that the cooperating forming members on the cylinders may be separately and independently adjusted to accurately cooperate upon rotation of the cylinders to form the material advanced therebetween.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved rotary material forming apparatus including at least three cylinders carrying material forming members and wherein a pair of the cylinders has cooperating creasing members which are operable to crease material advanced between the cylinders, and wherein the creasing members comprise spaced projecting lands on one of the pair of cylinders providing a female creasing member and a projecting land on the other of the cylinders providing a male creasing member, and wherein one of the pair of cylinders also includes other material forming members cooperable with forming members on the third cylinder and wherein the material forming members on the third cylinder and other cylinder of the pair of cylinders are adjustable independently of each other relative to the material forming members on the One cylinder of the Patented Mar. 8, 1966 ICC pair so that the cooperating forming members on the cylinders may be adjusted without affecting the position of the forming members on the other cylinders so that the cooperating forming members properly associate upon rotation of the cylinders to form the material which is advanced therebetween.

Yet another important object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved rotary material forming apparatus including at least three cylinders carrying material forming members and wherein the material forming members are projections from plates which have been etched to form the projections and wherein a first one of the cylinders carries first material forming members cooperable when properly aligned with the forming members on a second cylinder to cut material advanced therebetween and other forming members on the first cylinder are cooperable with forming members on the third cylinder and wherein the forming members on the second and third cylinders are adjustable independently of each other relative to the forming members on the first cylinder so that the cooperating forming members on the cylinders properly associate upon rotation of the cylinders to form the material advanced therebetween.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it re lates from the following detailed description of a p ferred embodiment thereof made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of a rotary cutting and creasing apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with a portion thereof in section;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the ap aratus of FIG. 1 illustrating parts thereof in cooperating relationship for creasing material;

FIG. 4 is another enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus in FIG. 1 illustrating parts thereof in cooperating relationship for cutting material;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of a modified rotary cutting and creasing apparatus embodying the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of still another modified rotary cutting and increasing apparatus embodying the present invention.

The present invention provides an improved material forming apparatus of the rotary type having rotatable cylinder members which carry material forming members which cooperate when the cylinders rotate to work on or form material located between the cylinders. The apparatus embodying the present invention is applicable for working on sheet-like material in either web or sheet form and, in general, includes a plurality of cylinders carrying material forming members which are adapted to engage the material and cooperate with corresponding forming members carried by a single master cylinder to form the material advanced therebetween. The forming members must be accurately aligned so as to properly cooperate when the cylinders rotate. Thus, the forming members are adjustable so as to accurately position the material forming members.

The present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 as embodied in a material forming apparatus A operable on material in sheet form. The apparatus A includes a pair of side frame members it) and a master cylinder 11 rotatably supported by the frame members .10 and cooperating forming cylinders 12 and 13 intergeared with the master cylinder to rotate therewith. The cylinders 11, 12 and 11, 13 define successive nips through which material is advanced and in which operations are performed on the material. For purposes of explanation, it is assumed that the operation to be performed by the cylinders 11, 12 is a creasing operation and that the operation to be performed by the cylinders 11, 13 is a cutting operation.

Sheet material to be creased and cut by the apparatus A is advanced down the feedboard 15 to a feed cylinder 16 which carries the sheet material to an advance cylinder 17. The advance cylinder 17 carries the sheet material to the master cylinder 11, and the master cylinder 11 carries the material between the master cylinder 11 and the forming cylinder 12, and then between the master cylinder 11 and the forming cylinder 13. As the material is advanced between the master cylinder 11 and the cylinder 12, the material is creased, as will be described hereinbelow, and as the material advances between the master cylinder 11 and the cylinder 13, the material is cut, as will also be described hereinbelow. The cut and creased sheet material may then be carried by the master cylinder 11 to a conventional delivery mechanism 18 which delivers the material from the apparatus. Conventional sheet grippers are mounted on the cylinders 16, 17, and 11 for engaging the material and conveying it through the apparatus and the gripper mechanism on cylinder 11 is mounted in a gap therein.

Preferably, the waste material and the formed product are held together after the cutting operation by small unsevered tie portions or tabs of the sheet material so that after the cutting operation, the material can be delivered in sheet form from the apparatus by the sheet delivery mechanism 18. Subsequently, the unsevered portions may be broken to separate the final product from the waste. It should be understood, however, that other delivery mechanisms may be used and that the waste material and product may be completely separated as or after the material moves between the master cylinder and cutting cylinder, and the waste material may then be stripped from the apparatus at a point different from where the formed product is removed.

The master cylinder 11 is adapted to mount a cylindrical master cutting and creasing plate 20 which extends around the major part of the periphery of the cylinder 11. Referring to FIG. 3, the master plate 20 has a plurality of projecting portions or creasing and cutting members 21, 22, respectively, extending from its outer surface 23. The cylinder 12 is adapted to mount a creasing plate provided with projecting portions or creasing members 26 which cooperate with the creasing members 21 on the plate 20 to crease material advanced between cylinders 11 and 12. Similarly, the cylinder 13 is adapted to mount a plate 27 thereon having cutting projections or members 28 extending therefrom and which cooperate with the cutting members 22 on the plate 20 to cut material advanced between cylinders 11, 13. The plates 20, 25 and 27 are fixedly secured to their respective cylinders by plate clamp devices mounted in gaps in the periphery of the cylinders.

The plates 20, 25, and 27 are flexible plates and the projecting portions are in the form of lands preferably formed by an etching process. The cutting operation is performed by the lands of projections 22 and 28 coming adjacent each other with a slight degree of overlap, but without actual physical contact. In effect, the overlap performs an initial clamping of the sheet material as the projections first come into contact with the material, then finally crush the material so as to sever it when the projections are on a line between the centers of cylinders 11 and 13. Severance will be on a slight angle across the acting corners of the projections 22 and 28.

To perform a creasing operation, the projections 26 on the creasing plate 25 are each received between spaced cooperating projections 21. When the sheet is to be creased along a line, the projections 21 will extend along opposite sides of the line to define a space 29 and the projections 26 will engage the sheet along the line and force the material into the space 29. The cooperating cutting members 22, 28, however, are positioned to have terial.

a negative clearance upon rotation of the cylinders 11, 13. Specifically, cooperating cutting members 22, 28 are positioned to overlap a given distance X, illustrated in FIG. 4, upon rotation of the cylinders 11 and 13. The members 22, 28 do not touch or engage during rotation and at their closest point, where they are separated by the least distance, they extend through a substantial percentage of the thickness of the material. The sheet material is ruptured cleanly and sharply by the cooperating overlapped members 22, 28 even though they do not move through the entire thickness of the material. Such cutting of the material may be termed rupture cutting. It should be clear that the members 22, 28 must be accurately positioned to provide for cutting the sheet ma- If there is too much overlap, the material may be merely compressed and not cut. If there is no overlap or too little overlap, the material may be folded rather than cut, depending on various factors, including the thickness of the material. The dimensions of the creasing and cutting projections are important and influence the quality of the score and cut and the dimensioning thereof is as disclosed in United States patent to Downie, No. 3,142,233.

The plates 20, 25, and 27 are preferably steel plates and the material forming projections or members are preferably formed thereon by a chemical milling or etching process. The particular arrangement of material forming projections or members on the plates depends upon the particular arrangement of creases and cuts desired on the sheet material being formed. For example, when the apparatus is being used to make box blanks. creasing projections are provided to cooperate to crease the sheet material where it is to be folded, and cutting projections are provided to cut an outline of the box blank and provide the box blank with desired slits and notches.

The structure of the machine illustrated schematically in FIG. 1 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2. Referring now to FIG. 2, which illustrates the cylinders 11, 12 without plates 20, 25, respectively, mounted thereon, the master cylinder 11 is secured to a shaft 30. The opposite ends of the shaft 30 are rotatably supported by suitable bearing assemblies 31, 32, respectively, fixed in the side frame members 10. The cylinder 12 is secured to a shaft 33 which extends parallel to the shaft 30, and the opposite ends of which are rotatably supported by bearing assemblies 34, 35. The bearing asemblies 34, 35 are positioned in and supported by sleeve members 36, 37, respectively, for sliding movement relative thereto, for a purpose to be described hereinbelow. The cylinders 11 and 12 are rotated in unison by a driving helical gear 38a which meshes with a helical gear 38 fixedly mounted on the shaft 30 and which in turn meshes with a helical gear 39 supported on the shaft 33, but nonrotatable with respect thereto. The gear 39 is splined to shaft 33 and is axially slidable therealong, for a purpose to be described hereinbelow. The cylinder 13 is supported and driven in the same manner as cylinder 12 and in view of this similarity, the mounting structure and driving arrangement therefor are not shown or described in detail. However, those elements associated with cylinder 13 and shown in the drawings are given the same reference characters as the corresponding element or elements associated with cylinder 12.

In accordance with the present invention, the cylinders 12 and 13 are individually adjustable relative to the master cylinder 11 so that the creasing and cutting members 26, 28 may be individually adjustable to properly cooperate with members 21, 22, respectively, on the master cylinder 11 to crease and cut the material, as described above. The adjustment mechanism for the cylinder 12 is preferably identical to the adjustment mechanism for the cylinder 13 and corresponding parts are given the same reference character. Only the adjusting mechanism for cylinder 12 will be described hereinbelow, it being understood that the adjustment mechanism for cylinder 13 is the same.

The adjusting mechanism for cylinder 12 includes means 4'9 for moving the cylinder 12 axially relative to the cylinder 11, means 41 for rotating the cylinder 12 relative to the cylinder 11, and means 42 for moving the cylinder 12 toward and away from the cylinder 11. The adjusting means 13 for moving the cylinder 12 axially preferably includes a bolt 45 extending parallel to shaft 33. The left end of the bolt 45, as viewed in FIG. 2, extends to the left beyond the bearing assembly 34 and is provided with a head so that a suitable tool such as a wrench may be used to rotate the bolt. The other end of the bolt 45 is provided with an enlargement 46 thereon located. in a groove 47 in the sleeve member 36 which slidably supports the bearing assembly 34. The groove 4-7 permits the enlargement 46 to rotate relative to the sleeve member 36 but prevents any axial movement of the bolt 45 relative to the sleeve member 37.

The bolt 45 extends through and is threadedly engaged in a threaded passageway in a projecting portion 48 of the bearing assembly 34. It should be apparent from the above that upon rotation of the bolt 45, the projecting portion 48 is moved along the bolt 45 and the bearing assembly 34 moves relative to the bolt 4-5. The hearing assemblies 34, thus slide relative to the sleeves 36, 37, respectively, and the cylinder 12 is moved axially of the cylinder 11. A plurality of bolts corresponding to bolt may be utilized, if deemed desirable.

The adjusting mechanism 41 for rotating the cylinder 12 relative to the cylinder 11 to effect angular adjustment of the creasing plate 12 preferably comprises a bolt 51) which extends parallel to shaft 33 and which is moved. axially to effect the adjustment. The bolt 50 threads into a collar 51 which is fixedly secured to the shaft 33 of the cylinder 12 and projects to the left outwardly beyond the collar, as the latter is viewed in FIG. 2. The inner end of the bolt 50 is secured to the gear 39 which, as aforementioned, is slidably mounted on the shaft 33. The bolt 51]! is secured to gear 39 for rotation relative thereto and is held against axial movement relative thereto, and upon rotation, the bolt 50 moves axially relative to the collar 51 and causes the gear 39 to slide axially along shaft 33 relative to the gear 38. Since the gears 33 and 39 are helical gears, axial movement of the gear'39 relative to the gear 38 causes the gear 39 to be rotated, and rotation of the gear 39 causes rotation of the cylinder 12. This alters the angular relation between cylinders 11 and 12 and the plates mounted thereon. The gear 38 does not rotate relative to gear 39 because driving gear 38a in mesh with gear 38 provides a resistance to such rotation. It should be apparent from the above description that a plurality of bolts 5% may be used to move gear 39, if desirable.

To provide adjustment of the cylinder 12 toward and away from the cylinder 11, the sleeves 36, 37 which support the opposite ends of the shaft 33 for the cylinder 12 are each slidable on a pair of rod elements in respective slots 52, 53 in the side frames 10. The rod elements of each pair are disposed on opposite sides of the sleeve supported by the pair. The rod elements are designated by the reference numeral 55 and extend generally parallel to a line through and. perpendicular to the axes of the cylinders 11 and 12. The rod elements are fixed relative to cylinder 11 and are shown as having their ends adjacent cylinder 11 Welded to the frame and, specifically, to the surfaces forming the bottom of the slots 52, 53.

The sleeves 36, 37 engage nuts 56 threaded. onto the rod elements and are urged to a position in engagement with the nuts by springs 57 disposed about the upper ends of the rod elements 55, as the latter are viewed in FIG. 2. The springs each have one end abutting the adjacent one of the sleeve members 36, 37 and the other end abutting a stop provided by a washer which bears against a respective nut 58 threaded onto the outer end of the respective rod element 55. The cylinder 12 may be moved toward or away from the cylinder 11 along a path parallel to the rods 55 by adjusting the nuts 56, which causes movement of the sleeve members 36, 37, respectively, in slots 52, 53 in the frame 111, and the force with which the cylinder 12 is held against the nuts 56 may be adjusted by adjusting the nuts 58. The teeth of the helical gears 38 and 39 are constructed so that there is sufficient play in the teeth in a radial direction to permit the desired amount of movement of the cylinder 12 without breaking the accurate intermeshing engagement of gears 38, 39.

It should be apparent from the above description that the cylinders 12, 13 are adjustable individually relative to the master cylinder 11 to properly position the sheet forming projections 26, 28 on the cylinders 12, 13 relative to their cooperating projections 21, 22, respectively, on cylinder 11. The cylinders 12, 13 may be individually rotated to angularly align the projections by rotating bolt 50 as above described. The cylinders may be individually moved toward or away from the cylinder 11 by adjusting nuts 56 along rods 55 to alter the amount of intermesh between the projections 26 and 21, and the cylinders may be individually moved axially relative to the master cylinder 11 by rotating bolt 45, as described above.

A modified embodiment of the present invention, illustrated in FIG. 5, comprises a creasing and cutting apparatus B having an arrangement of cylinders different from that shown in FIG. 1. 1n the modification shown in FIG. 5, the sheet material is advanced down the feedboard 711 to a feed cylinder 71, which carries the sheet material to an advance cylinder 72. The cylinder 72 carries the material to a creasing cylinder 73, which carries the material to the master cylinder 74. The master cylinder 74 then carries the material to the cutting cylinder 75, and the cutting cylinder 75 carries the material to a conventional delivery mechanism generally designated 76.

As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the cylinders 73, 74, and 75 have plates mounted thereon having projecting portions which cooperate to cut and crease the material as it advances through the apparatus. Moreover, conventional sheet grippers are mounted on the cylinders and engage the material to advance it through the apparatus. The cylinders 73, 75 are adjustable relative to master cylinder 74 in the manner described above in connection with cylinders 11, 12, and 13.

Thus, it can be seen from the foregoing that applicant has provided a new and improved material forming apparatus suitable for performing two operations, such as cutting and creasing, with the mechanism having a minimum of cylinders, and wherein the cylinders may be individually adjusted relative to each other enabling the use of a master cylinder having forming elements for each operation and enabling independent adjustment of the elements for effecting the various forming operations. When the cutting and creasing operations are being performed, the cutting cylinder may be readily adjusted to adjust the overlap of the rupturing projections on the master plate and cutting plate without affecting the relationship of the creasing projections on the master and on the creasing cylinders. Similarly, the relationship of the creasing projections may be adjusted without disturbing the relationship of the cutting projections. Independent adjustability is particularly important when different stocks are to be operated upon in view of the fact that the cutting projections may require adjusting to accommodate for a different stock thickness while the creasing projections might require no adjustment. Moreover, the cutting projections will normally wear faster than the creasing or embossing projections. The independent adjustability of the cylinders enables the cutting projections only to be adjusted as wear occurs. Furthermore, creasing plate 25 may be made of a different, more readily etchable material than the other plates, since sharp edges are not essential for creasing and plate life may thus be prolonged.

The present invention is also applicable to a machine for performing more than two operations at one time; for example, rupture cutting as defined above, creasing, and embossing, or possibly a ditferent cutting operation. In such a case, the master cylinder would carry forming elements for all the respective operations which cooperate with forming elements carried by a respective cylinder corresponding to the operation, and with the respective cylinder being adjustable relative to the master cylinder. Moreover, if the plates carrying the cooperating cutting members 22, 28 and creasing members 21, 26 are made with extreme accuracy, it would be possible to form the cutting and creasing elements on one cylinder cooperating with the master cylinder and have other material forming members on other cylinders cooperating with the master cylinder. Moreover, the forming elements need not be in the form of etched plates but could be in the form of conventional cutting, creasing, or embossing dies for rotary machines.

FIG. 6 shows a further modified apparatus similar to the apparatus of FIG. 1 for forming sheet material which is advanced through the apparatus. Those parts of the apparatus shown in FIG. 6, which correspond with similar parts of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, are given the same reference numerals. The apparatus of FIG. 6 is operable to work upon sheet material which is advanced through the apparatus. The sheet material is advanced down a feedboard 15 to a rotating cylinder 16 which grips the sheet material at the leading edge thereof and transfers the sheet to an advancing cylinder 17 which takes the sheet and transfer the sheet to a master cylinder 11. The master cylinder 11 has a gripper thereon which advances the sheet upon rotation of the master cylinder 11 between rotating cylinders 12, 13, and 90. As the sheet is advanced between the cylinders 11 and 12, cooperating creasing members mounted on the cylinders cooperate to crease the material fed therethrough, as described above in connection with FIG. 1. As the sheet material is advanced between the cylinders 11, 13, cooperating cutting members carried by the rotating cylinders 11, 13 cooperate to effect cutting of the sheet material, as described hereinabove in connection with the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. The cutting and creasing members carried by the cylinder 11 are on a single plate, as described above.

The cylinder 90 may carry any one of a plurality of different types of sheet forming members which are adapted to cooperate with sheet forming members also carried on the plate carried by the rotating master cylinder 11. The cylinder 90 may carry embossing members for cooperation with the sheet material to effect an embossment of the sheet material. The cylinder 9t) is adjustable in the manner described hereinabove in connection with cylinders 12, 13 with respect to FIG. 1, and thus this adjustment will not be described in detail. In general, the cylinder 90 is adjustable circumferentially f the cylinder 11, as well as radially of the cylinder 11 and axially of the cylinder 11 to provide for adjusting the material forming members on the cylinder 90 with the corresponding members on the cylinder 11.

The present invention has been described hereinabove in considerable detail; however, certain modifications, changes, and adaptations thereof may be made therein by those skilled in the art, and it is intended to cover all such modifications, changes, and adaptations of the present invention coming within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim.

1. In a mechanism for forming sheet-like material, a. rotatable master cylinder having first and second material forming members thereon, a first cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable with said master cylinder and having third material forming members thereon adapted to cooperate with the first material forming members on said master cylinder, certain of said first and third material forming members comprising closely spaced projecting lands and the others comprising projecting lands for forcing the material between the closely spaced projecting lands to thereby crease the material, a second cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable therewith and having fourth material forming members thereon cooperable with said second material forming members on said master cylinder to effect a forming of the material, means for moving said third material forming members relative to said first material forming members to adjust the relative positions thereof so that the lands properly cooperate to crease the material in the desired location and independently of relative movement of said second and fourth material forming members, and means for moving said fourth material forming members relative to said second material forming members in order to adjust the relative position of said second and fourth material forming members independently of the adjustment of the first and third material forming members.

2.. In a mechanism for forming sheet-like material, a rotatable master cylinder having first and second material forming members thereon, a first cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable with said master cylinder and having third material forming members thereon adapted to cooperate with the first material forming members on said master cylinder, certain of said first and third material forming members comprising closely spaced projecting lands and the others comprising projecting lands for forcing the material between the closely spaced projecting lands to thereby crease the material, a second cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable therewith and having fourth material forming members thereon cooperable with said second material forming members on said master cylinder to effect a forming of the material, means for moving said third material forming members relative to said first material forming members to adjust the relative positions thereof so that the lands properly cooperate to crease the material in the desired location and independently of relative movement of said second and fourth material forming members including means for bodily moving said first cylinder axially relative to said master cylinder, means for bodily moving said first cylinder toward or away from said master cylinder, means for rotating said first cylinder relative to said master cylinder, and means for moving said fourth material forming members relative to said second material forming members in order to adjust the relative position of said second and fourth material forming members independently of the adjustment of the first r and third material forming members including means for bodily moving said second cylinder axially relative to said master cylinder, means for bodily moving said second cylinder toward or away from said master cylinder, and means fior rotating said second cylinder relative to said master cylinder.

3. In a mechanism for forming sheet-like material, a rotatable master cylinder having first and second material forming members thereon engageable with the material to form the material, a first cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable with said master cylinder and having third material forming members thereon adapted to cooperate with the first material forming members on the master cylinder, a second cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable therewith and having fourth material forming members thereon adapted to cooperate with said second material forming members of said master cylinder to effect a severing of the material, said second and fourth material forming members comprising projecting lands which overlap each other in the plane of the material but which terminate short of each other radially of said master and second cylinders when severing, first adjusting means for moving said third material forming members relative to said first material forming members to adjust the relative positions of said first and third material forming members independently of relative movement of said second and fourth material forming members, and second adjusting means for moving said fourth projecting lands relative to said second projecting lands in order to adjust the relative position of said second and fourth sheet forming members independently of the adjustment for said first and third forming members so that said projecting lands are positioned to effect a severing of the material therebetween.

In a mechanism for forming sheet-like material, a rotatable master cylinder having first and second material forming members thereon engageable With the material to form the material, a first cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable with said master cylinder and having third material forming members thereon adapted to cooperate with the first material forming members on the master cylinder, a second cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable therewith and having fourth material forming members thereon adapted to cooperate with said second material forming members of said master cylinder to effect a severing of the material, said second and fourth material forming members comp-rising projecting lands which overlap each other in the plane of the material but which terminate short of each other radially of said master and second cylinders when severing, first adjusting means for moving said third material forming members relative to said first material forming members to adjust the relative positions of said first and third material forming members independently of relative movement of said second and fourth material forming members including means for bodily moving said first cylinder axially relative to said master cylinder, means for bodily moving said first cylinder toward or away from said master cylinder and means for rotating said second cylinder relative to said master cylinder, and second adjusting means for moving said fourth projecting lands relative to said second projecting lands in order to adjust the relative position of said second and fourth sheet forming member-s independently of the adjustment for said first and third sheet forming members so that said projecting lands are positioned to effect a severing of the material therebetween including means for bodily moving said second cylinder axially relative to said master cylinder, means for bodily moving said second cylinder toward or away from said master cylinder, and means for rotating said second cylinder relative to said master cylinder,

5. In a mechanism for forming sheet-like material, a rotatable master cylinder having first and second material forming members thereon engageable with the material to form the material, a first cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable with said master cylinder and having third material forming members thereon adapted to cooperate with the first material forming members on the master cylinder, certain of said first and third material forming members comprising closely spaced projecting lands and others comprising projecting lands for forcing the material between the closely spaced projecting lands to thereby crease the material, a second cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable therewith and having fourth material forming members thereon adapted to cooperate with said second material forming members of said master cylinder to effect a severing of the material, said second and fourth material forming members comprising projecting lands which overlap each other in the plane of the material but which terminate short of each other radially of said master and second cylinders when severing, first adjusting means for moving said third material forming members relative to said first material forming members to adjust the relative positions of said first and third material forming members independently of relative movement of said second and fourth material forming members, and second adjusting means for moving said fourth projecting lands relative to said second projecting lands in order to adjust the relative position of said second and fourth sheet forming members independently of the adjustment for said first and third sheet forming members so that said projecting lands are positioned to effect a severing of the material therebetween.

6. In a mechanism for forming sheet-like material, a rotatable master cylinder having first and second material forming members thereon, a first cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable with said master cylinder and having third material forming members thereon adapted to cooperate with the first material forming members on said master cylinder to perform a first operation on the material, a second cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable therewith and having fourth material forming members thereon cooperable with said second material forming members on said master cylinder to perform a second operation on the material, certain of said material forming members comprising closely spaced projecting lands on one cylinder and projecting lands on another cylinder for forcing the material between the closely spaced projecting lands to thereby crease the material, others of said material forming members comprising projecting lands on one cylinder which overlap projecting lands on another cylinder in the plane of the material but which terminate short of each other radially to effect a severing of the material, means for moving said third material forming members relative to said first material forming members to adjust the relative positions thereof and independently of relative movement of said second and fourth material forming members, and means for moving said fourth material forming members relative to said second material forming members in order to adjust the relative position of said second and fourth material forming members independently of the adjustment of the first and third material forming members.

7. Ina machine for forming sheet-like material as defined in claim 6 wherein said projecting lands are carried by plates etched to provide said lands and said plates are carried by said cylinders.

8. In a mechanism for forming sheet-like material, a rotatable master cylinder having first projecting members thereon for effecting a creasing operation and defining a creasing pattern on said master cylinder and second projecting members thereon for effecting a severing operation and defining a severing pattern on said master cylinder, a first cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable with said master cylinder and having third projecting members thereon adapted to cooperate with the first projecting members on said master cylinder to crease material and defining a creasing pattern on said first cylinder, certain of said first and third projecting members extending axially and others extending circumferentially of their respective cylinders and certain of said first and third projecting members comprising closely spaced projecting lands and the others comprising projecting lands for forcing the material between cooperating spaced projecting lands, a second cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable therewith and having fourth projecting members thereon defining a cutting pattern and adapted to cooperate with said second projecting members of said master cylinder to effect a severing operation and defining a severing pattern on said second cylinder, said second and fourth projecting members being in the form of projecting lands which overlap each other in the plane of the material when severing the material but which terminate short of each other radially of said master and second cylinders and certain of said second and fourth projections extend axially and others circumferentially of their respective cylinders, first adjusting means for moving said third projecting members relative to said first projecting members to adjust the relative positions of said first and third projecting members independently of adjusting the relative position of said second and fourth projecting members, and second adjusting means for moving said fourth projecting members relative to said second projecting members in order to adjust the relative position of said second and fourth members independently of the adjustments for said first and third projecting members, said first adjusting means including means for bodily moving said first cylinder axially relative to said master cylinder, means for bodily moving said first cylinder toward or away from said master cylinder, and means for rotating said first cylinder relative to said master cylinder whereby said first and third projecting members may be accurately aligned to properly cooperate, and said second adjusting means includes means for bodily moving said second cylinder axially relative to said master cylinder, means for bodily moving said second cylinder toward or away from said master cylinder, and means for rotating said second cylinder relative to said master cylinder whereby said second and fourth projecting members may be accurately aligned to properly cooperate.

9. In a mechanism for forming sheet-like material, a rotatable master cylinder supporting a first thin flexible plate having first projecting members thereon for effecting a creasing operation and defining a creasing pattern on said master cylinder and second projecting members thereon for effecting a severing operation and defining a severing pattern on said master cylinder, a first cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable with said master cylinder and supporting a second thin flexible plate having third projecting members thereon adapted to cooperate with the first projecting members on said master cylinder to crease material and defining a creasing patprojecting members extending axially and others extendtern on said first cylinder, certain of said first and third ing circumferentially of their respective cylinders and certain of said first and third projecting members comprising closely spaced projecting lands and the others comprising projecting lands for forcing the material between the spaced projecting lands, a second cylinder positioned adjacent said master cylinder and rotatable therewith and supporting a third thin flexible plate having fourth projecting members thereon defining a cutting pattern and adapted to cooperate with said second projecting members of said master cylinder to effect a severing operation and defining a severing pattern on said second cylinder, said second and fourth projecting members being in the form of projecting lands which overlap each other in the plane of the material when severing the material but which terminate short of each other radially of said master and second cylinders and certain of said second and fourth projections extend axially and others circumferentially of their respective cylinders, means on each of said cylinders for releasably holding said first, second and third plates on their respective cylinders, first adjusting means for moving said third projecting members relative to said first projecting members to adjust the relative positions of said first and third projecting members independently of adjusting the relative position of said second and fourth projecting members, and second adjusting means for moving said fourth projecting members relative to said second projecting members in order to adjust the relative position of said second and fourth members independently of the adjustments for said first and third projecting members, said first adjusting means including means for bodily moving said first cylinder axially relative to said master cylinder, means for bodily moving said first cylinder toward or away from said master cylinder, and means for rotating said first cylinder relative to said master cylinder whereby said first and third projecting members may be accurately aligned to properly cooperate, and said second adjusting means includes means for bodily moving said second cylinder axially relative to said master cylinder, means for bodily moving said second cylinder toward or away from said master cylinder, and means for rotating said second cylinder relative to said master cylinder whereby said second and fourth projecting members may be accurately aligned to properly cooperate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 591,209 10/1897 Clark 9358.2 2,121,105 6/1938 Shields 93-582 X 3,142,233 7/1964 Downie 9358 FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

BERNARD STICKNEY, Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,238,853 March 8, 1966 Albert J. Sarka It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 11, lines 35 and 36, for "projecting members extending axially and others extendtern on said first cylinder, certain of said first and third" read tern on said first cylinder, certain of said first and third-projecting members extending axially and others extend- Signed and sealed this 24th day of January 1967.,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

4. IN A MECHANISM FOR FORMING SHEET-LIKE MATERIAL, A ROTATABLE MASTER CYLINDER HAVING FIRST AND SECOND MATERIAL FORMING MEMBERS THEREON ENGAGEABLE WITH THE MATERIAL TO FORM THE MATERIAL, A FIRST CYLINDER POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID MASTER CYLINDER AND ROTATABLE WITH SAID MASTER CYLINDER AND HAVING THIRD MATERIAL FORMING MEMBERS THEREON ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH THE FIRST MATERIAL FORMING MEMBERS ON THE MASTER CYLINDER, A SECOND CYLINDER POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID MASTER CYLINDER AND ROTATABLE THEREWITH AND HAVING FOURTH MATERIAL FORMING MEMBERS THEREON ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH SAID SECOND MATERIAL FORMING MEMBERS OF SAID MASTER CYLINDER TO EFFECT A SEVERING OF THE MATERIAL, SAID SECOND AND FOURTH MATERIAL FORMING MEMBERS COMPRISING PROJECTING LANDS WHICH OVERLAP EACH OTHER IN THE PLANE OF THE MATERIAL BUT WHICH TERMINATE SHORT OF EACH OTHER RADIALLY OF SAID MASTER AND SECOND CYLINDERS WHEN SEVERING, FIRST ADJUSTING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID THIRD MATERIAL FORMING MEMBERS RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST MATERIAL FORMING MEMBERS TO ADJUST THE RELATIVE POSITIONS OF SAID FIRST AND THIRD MATERIAL FORMING MEMBERS INDEPENDENTLY OF RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND AND FOURTH MATERIAL FORMING MEMBERS INCLUDING MEANS FOR BODILY MOVING SAID FIRST CYLINDER AXIALLY RELATIVE TO SAID MASTER CYLINDER, MEANS FOR BODILY MOVING SAID FIRST CYLINDER TOWARD OR AWAY FROM SAID MASTER CYLINDER AND MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SECOND CYLINDER RELATIVE TO SAID MASTER CYLINDER, AND SECOND ADJUSTING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FOURTH PROJECTING LANDS RELATIVE TO SAID SECOND PROJECTING LANDS IN ORDER TO ADJUST THE RELATIVE POSITION OF SAID SECOND AND FOURTH SHEET FORMING MEMBERS INDEPENDENTLY OF THE ADJUSTMENT FOR SAID FIRST AND THIRD SHEET FORMING MEMBERS SO THAT SAID PROJECTING LANDS ARE POSITIONED TO EFFECT A SEVERING OF THE MATERIAL THEREBETWEEN INCLUDING MEANS FOR BODILY MOVING SAID SECOND CYLINDER AXIALLY RELATIVE TO SAID MASTER CLYINDER, MEANS FOR BODILY MOVING SAID SECOND CYLINDER TOWARD OR AWAY FROM SAID MASTER CLYINDER, AND MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SECOND CYLINDER RELATIVE TO SAID MASTER CYLINDER. 